Kawasaki has presented its latest aerial vehicle, which is equipped with the 998 cc engine found in a Kawasaki H2R.
The H2R is a quite famous motorcycle, partly because it is supercharged and partly because of the numbers it produces – 330 hp being the main characteristic.
It is an impressive power for a motorcycle, but what about a helicopter, or more specifically, an unmanned helicopter?
Well, it is enough to lift 200 kg at sea level (or 100 kg at 3,100 m above sea level), as Kawasaki proves in its recent video presenting the new vehicle, which actually looks – at least to our untrained eyes – quite similar to a helicopter. This means that one could almost lift a… Kawasaki H2R, with an engine identical to its own. Alternatively, you can remove the engine from the H2R, place it in the drone (called K-Racer-X2), and lift the remaining motorcycle with its own engine. Useful, for example, if you come across a large hill with no roads.
The use of a four-cylinder inline engine makes the K-Racer-X2 sound a bit different from a normal helicopter, although its constant operating speed while in the drone makes it somewhat less appealing. After all, perhaps the best place for a motorcycle engine is on a motorcycle?
The K-Racer project – which stands for “Kawasaki Researching Autonomic Compound to Exceed Rotorcraft” (which is obviously exceptionally captivating) – was originally announced in 2021, with the basic idea of simplifying the logistics of delivering supplies to people in remote and mountainous regions, many of which are in Japan. Currently, autonomy is a problem – Kawasaki estimates that the K-Racer-X2 has an autonomy of approximately one hour.
